Butterfly
by Antonia-x
Summary: Personally, I miss Rachel. So, here is a little story - primarily as congratulations present to Meg! :  Another take on Rachel leaving leaving Sunhill. Rachel/Smithy  sort of!  Enjoy! Review :P I'll send virtual cake.  Anny.x.


**Meg's influence has rubbed off on me, and all I want to do is write really cute Rachel/Smithy stories.. And more importantly! With plenty of congratulations to her, it's a little Rachel/Smithy story. **

**I've now found my new favourite Take That song at all.. It's beautiful, and I feel it really fitted the atmosphere, and Smithy's feelings! **

_Flashbacks_, Present day **and **_**song lyrics**_**. **

**Oh, and Smithy's P.O.V for present day.**

**3rd**** person for flashbacks.**

**Anyway, enjoy, Anny. **

**P.S. If you fancy reviewing, that would be nice.**

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Butterfly.

_**For one in my life, I couldn't deny: **_

_**I thought that I'd found my everything. **_

_**Lover or friend.**_

_**The hours we'd spend just doing nothing at all.**_

Driving back from court I can only think of one thing, and I can't understand it. She's leaving. Rachel. Leaving Sunhill and me. I have to speak to her, why hasn't she said. Why hasn't anyone said. I mean Jack did, just there, when he offered me her job.

_**But your need to leave is yours alone, **_

_**Break free let go, Butterfly, fly, fly away from here. **_

"_You're new to Sunhill aren't you, not just here - but the whole place?" He smirked down at the blonde, who a few weeks previous had become his fellow sergeant. She smiled at him sweetly before she nodded her response. She had a shyness about her, despite being able to hold a team together, but now alone with him she couldn't show the same attitude that works, when you're working. He looked back at her again, just as she wasn't about to leave the office to get dressed and go home. "Why don't you come down to the pub with us?" Another question was answered by another nod then a smile. No one knew much about the new girl, and she wasn't offering to tell anyone, but Smithy wanted her to make friends - sometimes the job requires a really good friend at the end of tough day. He waited on her and walked her to the pub, almost in complete silence._

I caught up with her at the bottom of the ramp, her honey blonde hair blowing in the wind, I called her name and as she turned round to face me, her hair swept round her. I didn't know what I was going to say to her: goodbye and good luck, I assumed.

_The original group of many had been slowly decreasing in numbers for most of the night: Jo, Leon, Callum, Gina and Terry had only stayed for a couple of drinks. Ben, Sally, Mel, Millie, Arun had left to go to a club, taking with them Stevie and Mickey - and had tried to convince Rachel, she declined several times before they gave up, well more their cab arrived. So that left Smithy and Rachel with Roger and Tony sitting across from them. The bell for last orders had rung ten minutes previously, cabs had been phoned, Rachel who lived just minutes away from the pub was trying to convincing them to let her walk. All three of the men were having none of it, she would be getting one of the cabs. After five minutes of much debate, it had been decided that Smithy would be dropping her off - as they lived in the same direction. _

"Smithy?" I looked at her.

"Rachel." She looked at me.

"Did you want something?" She remained looking at me, and I realised I would have to answer her.

"Yes, no, kind of… You're leaving?" She nodded slowly and looked away from me.

"I am, yes." She replied looking back at me, she smiled and I smiled back. She looked at me again, and opened her mouth as if to say something but she closed it again, and didn't speak.

"You going to the pub?" She nodded again, looking at me in a confused manner. I tried smiling at her again, before I spoke: "Walk with me." She nodded, again, in response.

_They were sitting at either side of her cream sofa, with her giggling softly at him and him glaring, good naturedly, as he didn't find it as funny as she obviously did. She leant across to the small coffee table, to re-fill the wine glasses, knowing that she'd regret that in the morning and that Gina Gold would kill them. He moved closer to her and took his glasses from her, absentmindedly he took her hand in his other and began tracing circles on her palm. Slowly and very uncertainly she looked at him, she looked up to meet his eyes with her own clear blue, bambi-like eyes. As he took his hand from hers he watched her eyes sadden, and she retreated to her own corner of the sofa. _

We stopped at the gate leading us out of the rear yard, Rachel gazed back up at the building and sighed. I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her that she was doing the right thing. I took a steady breath and asked her: "Where you going?" She looked up at me, putting her hand over my hand - which was still rested on her shoulder: "Heaton's new trafficking unit." Even as she said, her eyes still showed her uncertainty. I asked her looking for an honest answer: "Are you coming back?" She nodded, before smiling - something she seemed to do when she was nervous, I'd noticed it in her first few weeks at Sunhill: "In a year." I smiled at her, relieved: "Good. I'm glad."

_She was sitting cautiously holding her glass, her eyes quickly flicking from Smithy, to her glass and then to the ground. He leant over and put his glass on her coffee table, moving closer to her. He took her hands in his, and looked at her, before throwing caution to the wind, and leaning into her, closing the gap between them and capturing her lips in a soft, sweet, tender kiss. _

I moved the hand which was on her shoulder, to grip her shoulder tightly and pull her towards me. I dropped a kiss to the top of her head and smiled into her hair. I wasn't expecting her to react, but she wrapped her arms around my waist tightly, burying her head in my shoulder. After a few minutes of standing like this, about five I think, she looked up. I seen Callum, Ben, Will, Sally, Millie and Mel looking at us strangely. Roger and Tony followed after them, while neither of them showed any sign of being interested until they were about to cross the road a questioning glance. I wasn't bothered by it - Rachel was a colleague and a friend, I wanted to be there if she was worried about leaving, it was nothing to read into just one colleague comforting the other.

_Smithy looked at her for a reaction - he wasn't particularly bothered which one, well actually, her not hating him would be good. Because apart from the obvious - which was reason enough for to be a bad situation to be in, Gina would kill him - actually kill him, dead - for having problems with the other sergeant, it was as if his and Callum's disputes, at times, weren't enough. He was quietly pleased, when she put her hand on his cheek, kissing his cheek tenderly, before joining her lips and his again. _

She spoke for the first time since she'd had to tell me she was leaving. Her big blues eyes never left mine, I could see the tears in them threatening to spill down her cheeks. She opened her mouth and closed it twice, so I took her hand, wanting to show her that I'd support her. She spoke eventually: "I don't want to go to the pub Smithy, just take me home?" I nodded at her, and wrapped an arm around her waist as we began to walk.

_The following morning Smithy woke in an unfamiliar - insanely neat - bedroom, it was quarter to five and he was, well they were, starting work in an hour. He reached across Rachel, to switch off the alarm that had awoken him. As the beeping stopped, Rachel's eyes snapped open and she rolled on to her side and into Smithy. He smiled down at her: "Morning." She sat up quickly and murmured a morning to him, and then looked nervously down to her hands. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Smithy speaking: "Rachel, Rach, do you mind if I jump in the shower?" She shook her head quickly before she looked up at him again speaking cautiously: "Smithy…" She started. But, he cut her off: "Rach, I think you're great, alright - that, last night, wasn't a mistake, at least on my part. Okay?" She nodded quickly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, before she kissed Smithy's cheek softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. _

I snapped out of my thoughts, knowing that we had had fun while it had lasted, but when she became Inspector it was difficult for us to find the time to be together, we just drifted apart, it was sad - but we didn't have to deal with the tears and then a screaming break-up fight, it was nice that way. We had reached her door when she looked back up at me, she blinked once quickly as a tear made it's way down one cheek, as I reached to wipe it away she began to speak: "I'll miss you Smithy." I wrapped my arms around her as another few tears escaped from her eyes. "I'll miss you too, Rachel." I murmured slowly into her ear, as another wave of tears cascaded elegantly down her cheeks. Some how my lips found hers and I was kissing her with as much passion as I had been, the first time I'd kissed her. She pulled away from me, giggling slightly and I realised how ridiculous we must look standing on her doorstep, she must've too because she opened the door letting us both in.

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***sob* I miss Rachel, **

**Well actually, as of next Tuesday, I'll miss Smithy too. **

**But, they could've gotten together! **

**Anyway, if you fancy reviewing - I'll send you some cake - virtual cake? Tehe. **

**Until next time, Anny. X. **


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